Excerpt: The forty is the single most important measurement in American sports today and there isn’t a close second. Current players know it, fans know it, and would-be draftees know it. I’ve seen future NFL players turn from making fun of one another to expressions of grave seriousness in less than a second when they realize they’re about to run a timed forty. There’s something about staring down that expanse of eight five-yard intervals that gives even the best athletes today pause. The forty is equal parts silent explosion, weighty lightness and organized anarchy.

Excerpt: Jadeveon Clowney perhaps has more talent than the best pure pass-rusher in NFL history, Lawrence Taylor. So why isn't the South Carolina star a No. 1 pick lock? A look into the 2014 draft's biggest mystery.

The curious case of Jim Harbaugh | Bill Barnwell, GrantlandExcerpt: The Browns eventually hired Mike Pettine to be their new head coach and promptly overhauled the remainder of their front office by parting ways with executives Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi, so even if there was a brief window of opportunity for a Harbaugh trade, it’s now safely shut. But that doesn’t make the idea of a Harbaugh trade much less interesting, nor does it preclude the 49ers from considering one in the future. That this story even happened might very well tell us a lot about Harbaugh’s future with the team, or at the very least, his current level of happiness with the organization. Let’s break down what happened, how it could have worked for both sides, and what to look for going forward with the Harbaugh-49ers relationship.